Vertically adjustable door hardware



P 15, 1964 1.. R. DICKINSON ETAL 3,148,405

VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE DOOR HARDWARE Filed May 4, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS. L1. aro P. DICKINSaAl,

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VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE DOOR HARDWARE 2 Sheets-Sh 2 Filed y 1962 l. I I I12. 7

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United States Patent 3,148,495 VERTTCALLY ADJUSTABLE DOQR HARDWARE Lloyd R. Dickinson and William V. Vessels, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignors to McK nney Manufacturing Company, littsburgh, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed May 4, 1962, Ser. No. 192,561 7 Claims. ((31. 161i5) This invention relates to hardware for supporting or guiding doors, and more particularly to the vertical adjustment thereof.

Sliding doors are supported by hangers travelling in overhead tracks. When the doors are hung it is necessary to have the correct clearance at top and bottom, so the hangers sometimes are made vertically adjustable by providing them with vertical slots, through which extend the screws that attach them to the doors. However, it is not always easy to make the precise adjustment desired before tightening the screws. The same problem mises with folding doors, which have guide brackets at the top travelling in a track. Sometimes the guide brackets also help to support the doors. The folding doors may be pivotally mounted at top and bottom in bearings supported by brackets. The lower bracket usually is at tached to the door jamb and it is highly desirable that the bracket be adjustable vertically to correctly position the door. Such brackets therefore have been provided with ertical slots for the attaching screws in the same way as the hanger and guide brackets.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide vertically adjustable door hardware, wherein the adjustment can be carefully controlled, which is easy to adjust, and which is simple and inexpensive in construction.

In accordance with this invention, a vertical plate is placed against the vertical surface of a door member, such as a door jamb or the door itself. Gne face of the plate has a recess in it, the vertical wall of which is provided with a central vertical slot extending through the plate. Rotatably mounted in this recess is a cam mounted on a cam shaft that projects from opposite sides of it at one side of its center. One end of the shaft extends through the plate slot and one end projects into the door member. The same end of the shaft may do both, or one end may project into the door member and the other end through the slot, depending on whether the camreceiving recess is in the outer or inner face of the plate. The width of the recess is great enough to permit the cam to be turned 130, but the top and bottom of the recess are engageable by the cam so that when it is turned it can move the plate up or down to adjust it. After the desired adjustment has been made, the plate is rigidly secured to the door member by releasable means, such as screws, connected therewith.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- FIG. 1 is a fragmentary elevation showing a sliding door hanger incorporating our invention;

PEG. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line Il-II of PEG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line Ill-HI of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the hanger adjusted to its lowest position on the door;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary elevation of a modification of this invention; and

FTG. 6 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line VTVI of FIG. 5.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, a hanger, consisting of a block It and a metal plate 2, suspends a door 3 from an overhead track 4 supported in a doorway in the usual manner. The track is in the form of an inverted channel, in which the block slides lengthwise.

Edddfihii Patented Sept. 15, 1%64 ice The block, preferably made of plastic, extends down below the track, where it is provided with a central horizontal slot 5 through it. At the center of the slot there is a verti al threaded hole 6 through the block. Extending through the slot is the horizontal upper end of plate 2, which has an inverted L-shape. The plate is held in the block by a screw 7 extending up into the hole in the block and through a corresponding hole in the plate. The vertical portion of the plate extends downward and its inner face engages the face of the door. Near opposite sides of the plate it is provided with vertical slots 3, through which extend screws 9 that fasten the plate securely to the door in order to support the door. If the screws are loosened, the door can be adjusted vertically relative to the plate and then the screws can be tightened again to hold it in its adjusted position.

it is a feature of this invention that means are provided for easily and precisely making whatever vertical adjustment is needed between the hanger and the door. Accordingly, the inner face of plate 2 between the two slots 8 is provided with a recess 12, which is formed by stamping the plate to offset a portion of it outward. The recess is wider than it is high and is more or less oval, with parallel upper and lower walls. The vertical outer wall of the recess is provided with a vertical slot 13 extending through the plate. Inside the recess there is a cam 14, preferably circular, from the opposite sides of which a cam shaft projects. The cam shaft is formed by a pin 15 projecting eccentrically from the inner side of the cam, and a boss 16 coaxial with the pin and extending from the outer side of the cam through the slot in the plate. The pin and boss are rigidly secured to the cam, preferably by making them integral with it. For example, the cam and its cam shaft can be molded from a suitable plastic, such as nylon. The width of the recess is great enough to permit the cam to be turned at least from a position in which it extends straight up from the cam shaft to a position in which it extends straight down. Preferably, the recess is wide enough to allow the cam to be rotated 360. In that case, slot 13 is located at the center of the recess. On the other hand, the height of the recess is less than its width and preferably about equal to the diameter of the cam so that the cam can engage both the top and bottom walls of the ecess continuously. The pin 15 fits snugly in a hole 17 drilled in the door and is rotatable therein. The outer end of the boss has a kerr 18 for a screwdriver, or is shaped to be turned by a wrench.

The hanger shown in FIG. 1 is in its intermediate position on the door, with the cam extending toward the right from its axis of rotation. When it is desired to adjust the door vertically, the retaining screws 9 are loosened and boss 16 is turned in either direction to cause the cam to rotate and swing up or down to press against either the top. or bottom wall of the recess. If the hanger is not suspended from the track at the time of adjustment, the cam will move plate 2 vertically on the door. If the hanger is suspended as shown, turning of the cam in the recess will cause pin 15 to move the door vertically the desired amount. When the cam is swung all the way down as shown in FIG. 4, the pin will raise the door and the screws will be moved to the upper end of plate slots 8, which are long enough to permit 360 rotation of the cam in the recess. Then the screws are tightened to clamp the plate and door tightly together. It will be seen that with this hanger extremely small adjustments can be made by simply turning the cam a few degrees. Nothing is required to hold the cam in place in addition to the hanger plate itself and the door. The cam, with its shaft, is the only extra part.

This same idea can be applied to the guide bracket that travels in the overhead track of a folding door. It likea wise can be used with the lower pivot bracket of a folding door, in which case the cam pin fits in a hole drilled in the door jamb, to which the bracket is screwed.

In the modification shown in FIGS. and 6, a sliding door 21 using rollers 22 in a track 23 is illustrated, but this embodiment of the invention could just as well be used with the type of hanger first described, or with a folding door guide bracket or lower pivot bracket. In this modification the recess 24 in the hanger plate 25 is in the outer face of the plate, and the central vertical slot 26 through the vertical wall of the recess therefore adjoins the door. A circular cam 27 is disposed in the recess, but instead of having an integral cam shaft, the shaft in this case is formed by a screw 28 rotatably mounted in the cam and screwed into the doorbehind it. Since turning the screw will not rotate the cam, a tab 29 is provided that preferably is integral with the cam and also receives the screw. A screw 30 and a vertical slot 31 through the plate above the cam helps to fasten the plate rigidly to the door. When both screws are loosened, the cam can be turned by the tab to effect relative vertical adjustment between the door and hanger plate in the manner previously described herein. Then the screws are tightened to clamp the plate and door together.

We claim:

1. Door hardware comprising a vertical plate having upper and lower ends and adapted to engage a vertical surface of a door member, means connected to one end of the plate for connecting the plate with an adjoining member, one face of the plate having a recess therein with a vertical wall, said wall being provided with a vertical slot therethrough, a cam rotatably mounted in the recess, a straight cam shaft projecting from opposite sides of the cam eccentrically thereof, one end of the shaft extending through said slot, the shaft having one end formed for projection into the door member, the width of said recess being great enough to permit the cam to be turned substantially 180, the cam being engageable with the top and bottom of the recess so that the cam can effect relative vertical adjustment between the cam shaft and plate, and releasable means for rigidly securing the plate to the door member in any of its adjusted positions.

2. Door hardware according to claim 1, in which the top and bottom of the recess substantially engage the cam at all times, and said releasable means includes a vertical slot in the palte and a screw extending through the slot for screwing into the door member, the length of said last-mentioned slot being great enough to permit 360 rotation of the cam in the recess.

3. Door hardware according to claim 1, in which said plate has a substantially uniform wall thickness and said vertical wall is offset from the surrounding portion of the plate to form said recess.

4. Door hardware according to claim 1, in which the width of said recess is at least as great as the diameter of the circle described by the cam when turned, and said slot is substantially midway between the opposite sides of the recess.

5. Door hardware comprising a vertical plate with an inner face adapted to engage a vertical surface of a door member, the plate having upper and lower ends, means connected to one of said ends for connecting the plate with an adjoining member, said face having a recess therein with a vertical outer Wall, said wall being provided with a vertical slot therethrough, a circular cam disposed in said recess, a pin projecting eccentrically from the inner side of the cam for fitting in a hole in the door member, a boss rigidly secured to the cam coaxially with the pin and extending from the outer side of the cam through said slot, the boss being formed for manual rotation to turn the cam in said recess, the width of the recess being great enough to permit the cam to be turned substantially 180, the cam being engageable with the top and bottom of the recess so that the cam can efiect relative vertical adjustment between the pin and plate, and releasable means for rigidly securing the plate to the door member in any of its adjusted positions.

6. Door hardware comprising a vertical plate having upper and lower ends and adapted to engage a vertical surface of a door member, means connected to one end of the plate for connecting it with an adjoining member the outer face of the plate having a recess therein with a vertical inner wall, said wall being provided with a vertical slot theretlu'ough, a circular cam disposed in the recess, a screw extending through the cam eccentrically thereof and having its point projecting through said slot for screwing into the door member, means for turning the cam on said screw, the width of said recess being great enough to permit the cam to be turned substantially 180 the cam being engageable with the top and bottom of the recess so that the cam can effect relative vertical adjustment between the screw and plate, and releasable means for rigidly securing the plate to the door member in any of its adjusted positions.

7. Door hardware comprising a vertical plate having upper and lower ends and adapted to engage a vertical surface of a door member, means connected to one end of the plate for connecting it with an adjoining member, the outer face of the plate having a recess therein with a vertical inner wall, said wall being provided with a vertical slot therethrough, a circular cam disposed in the recess, a tab joined to the cam and extending laterally away from its outer face for turning the cam, a screw extending through the tab and through the cam eccentrically thereof and having its point projecting through said slot for screwing into the door member, the width of said recess being great enough to permit the cam to be turned substantially 180, the cam being engageable with the top and bottom of the recess so that the cam can effect relative vertical adjustment between the screw and plate,

and releasable means for rigidly securing the plate to the door member in any of its adjusted positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 25,246 Majeske Sept. 25, 1962 862,561 Hunt Aug. 6, 1907 2,296,323 Allen Sept. 22, 1942 2,842,795 Majeske July 15, 1958 2,959,807 Johnson Nov. 15, 1960 2,999,267 Sterling et a1 Sept. 12, 1961 3,105,272 Tucker Oct. 1, 1963 

1. DOOR HARDWARE COMPRISING A VERTICAL PLATE HAVING UPPER AND LOWER ENDS AND ADAPTED TO ENGAGE A VERTICAL SURFACE OF A DOOR MEMBER, MEANS CONNECTED TO ONE END SURFACE OF A DOOR MEMBER, MEANS CONNECTED TO ONE END OF THE PLATE FOR CONNECTING THE PLATE WITH AN ADJOINING MEMBER, ONE FACE OF THE PLATE HAVING A RECESS THEREIN WITH A VERTICAL WALL, SAID WALL BEING PROVIDED WITH A VERTICAL SLOT THERETHROUGH, CAM ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN THE RECESS, A STRAIGHT CAM SHAFT PROJECTING FROM OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE CAM ECCENTRICALLY THEREOF, ONE END OF THE SHAFT EXTENDING THROUGH SAID SLOT, THE SHAFT HAVING ONE END FORMED FOR PROJECTION INTO THE DOOR MEMBER, THE WIDTH OF SAID RECESS BEING GREAT ENOUGH TO PERMIT THE CAM TO BE TURNED SUBSTANTIALLY 180*, THE CAM BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE RECESS SO THAT THE CAM CAN EFFECT RELATIVE VERTICAL ADJUSTMENT BETWEEN THE CAM SHAFT AND PLATE, AND RELEASABLE MEANS FOR RIGIDLY SECURING THE PLATE TO THE DOOR MEMBER IN ANY OF ITS ADJUSTED POSITIONS. 